BTA In Action
Archive Calendar
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Sit down with me as we think through some tough topics in a reflective way and examine some of the difficult issues that can trouble followers of Christ. My hope is that you’ll always come away with more to think about… RBC Ministries
- Three to Watch For |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Aug 28 2010
Everyone has faith in something. No one can live very long without hope. And those who don’t believe in God often make a strong case for loving one another. So is it any wonder that those who do not think Christ is the only way to God are not impressed when they hear his followers [...]
- Unwanted Opportunity |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 27 2010
Followers of Christ often find it easy to affirm the importance of faith, hope, and love. We acknowledge that according to the Scriptures, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). We hear that without love we are somewhere between noise and nothing (1Cor 13:1-2). We admit that without hope, we are just [...]
- What’s so Important About Trust? |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 23 2010
So much of the Bible seems to be about God testing our willingness to trust Him. It was an issue in the Garden; in Job’s troubles; in Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac; in our response to the Good News of what Christ did for us… and at each step of our journey home… Why does [...]
- Has God Said? |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 08 2010
Satan asked the question of Eve to plant a seed of doubt in her mind. But seems to me that the same question, “Has God said?” can be asked to clarify our faith. What if, hypothetically, I were to say to you, “My car has some brake issues that my mechanic says are very dangerous. [...]
- For Better or Worse |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Mar 03 2010
Imagine leaving home, never to return, without knowing where we are going… except that our destination has been promised to be “far better”… In some ways that’s what Abraham and Sara did. God asked them to leave an ancient home in modern Iraq– without telling them for where (Gen 12:1; Hebrews 11:8). Is it different [...]
- The Misused Name |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Jan 26 2010
One way to break down someone’s faith may be to quote Jesus’ promise that… the Father in heaven will give us any thing we ask in Jesus name (John 16:23). Many of us have discovered the hard way that ending our prayers “in the name of Jesus” doesn’t necessarily make a difference in whether we [...]
- Taking Inventory and Steps |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 05 2009
Over the months I’ve talked every once in a while about how 12 Step thinking and process echoes basics of true spirituality. Even after the specific language of the Bible has been removed to make the Steps “accessible” to those who come with an aversion to the “religion” of their past, real wisdom remains. Step [...]
- What We Can or Cannot Do |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 01 2009
Can we count on God to give us the ability to do anything we “believe him for”? The Apostle Paul wrote that he had learned how to do all things through Christ who strengthened him (Philip 4:13). But why then, on another occasion did he write, “For what I am doing, I do not understand. [...]
- In Hope of Changing Seasons |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Oct 25 2009
It was raining and 43 degrees yesterday when I stopped to look up into this tree. Its trunk and branches are strong. Yet by its appearance, it is joining the rest of us in acknowledging that we have no power to resist the seasons of life. Solomon, struggled for a while to make sense of [...]
- Praying Like a Broken Record |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 06 2009
Looking back, it seems that life is full of answered and unanswered prayers. It’s clear that, as a wise Father who for our good thinks in ways far beyond our ability, our God has every right and responsibility to say “Yes,” “No,” or “Not Yet.” But how, as we live with unanswered requests, can we [...]
